8:50pm: The Padres have also shown interest in Cooper, tweets Mish, who adds that “no shortage of teams” have called the Marlins about him in the wake of the Duvall agreement. Trading for Cooper would be the latest notable offseason move by the Padres, who have aggressively tried to chase down the division-rival Dodgers throughout the winter.
7:34pm: The Marlins are adding Adam Duvall to their outfield, and that pickup could push Garrett Cooper out of Miami. Cooper’s status with the team is in question now that Duvall is coming aboard, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Dodgers have already inquired about Cooper, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports.
Whether Miami would seriously consider trading Cooper is unknown, but it could deem him redundant because of the Duvall signing. Both players are right-handed hitters capable of lining up in the corner outfield, and though Cooper has mostly been a first baseman, the Marlins have another righty starter there in Jesus Aguilar. If there is no universal DH in 2021, Cooper could wind up elsewhere.
Cooper, who turned 30 on Christmas Day, has been a productive and affordable part of the Marlins’ offense over the past couple years. He was certainly among their best hitters last season, in which he slashed .283/.353/.500 (134 wRC+) with six home runs in 133 plate appearances. His history of mixing respectable offense (114 career wRC+) with defensive versatility, not to mention his three remaining years of team control and $1.9MM salary in 2021, would figure to make him a quality trade chip for Miami.
The Dodgers are known for placing high value on players who can line up at multiple positions, so Cooper would seem to fit in with the reigning World Series champions. He could perhaps see time at first base along with the likes of Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Edwin Rios, and would join Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor and AJ Pollock as outfield-capable veterans on the Dodgers’ roster.
